I left you with the tale of the white pheasant while we sailed away for a weeks break. Having returned late last night, the first thing I did this morning was to check the greenhouse to see if my meconopsis seedlings had survived with my neighbour looking after them, of course they had, well they didn’t one year but that was a different neighbour! Next I checked the woodland to see what the pheasants had been up to while we were away and was very pleasantly surprised.
Lots more buds had opened and now you wouldn’t know that the first flowers had all been eaten – the pheasants are forgiven!
So many more flowers means of course that we will have plenty of seed to sprinkle around to make more drifts elsewhere.
Narcissus St. Patrick is still flowering and has been joined by Narcissus Geranium, the perfume in this area is quite overwhelming.
So where did we sail to, somewhere the sand is silver, the sea the most beautiful shade of blue, almost turquoise some days, The sky a shade of blue we never seem to have at home and the planting has to be seen to be believed.
All will be revealed in the next post when I have sorted out all my photos, quite a bit of work to be done first. Lets just say that I have come back thinking that my conservatory plants look pathetic compared to these growing outside all year round!
Glad you found happy fritillaries after your sunny, blue-sky time away, Pauline. When buying Narcissus next time, I must remember to look for some with fragrance like yours.
It was great to find so many buds had opened while we were away Susie, almost as if the pheasant had never been! I think most of the later flowering narcissus have a lovely perfume, I try to find perfumed ones too!
I’m pleased you found so many fritillaries on your return. They are looking wonderful. Look forward to reading about your holiday; from these two photos and your description it sounded lovely.
So many buds Wendy, that I hadn’t noticed before we went away, had opened by our return. I can’t now begrudge the few that the pheasant ate when everywhere was frozen! I’m getting my photos sorted, so soon will be able to share our trip with you and all the gardens we visited, there were so many!
Hi Pauline,
Lovely photos, and pretty amazing to see so many Fritillaria – Don’t think I’ve ever seen them in the wild before!
What does the area look like for the rest of the year? Do you have other plants which add interest after the Frits have finished? This is always the tough part, trying to cater for all seasons or leaving areas to lie somewhat fallow as the spring flowers often die back or simply keep their leaves until autumn.
Liz, the woodland goes rather quiet after May, once the leaves on the trees put everything in the shade. I rely then on foliage, hostas, ferns, heucheras, foxgloves, solomon seal etc, which I like but a few would find it boring. I agree, having drifts of anything causes problems for following interest, I am growing lots of candelabra primulas to put with the fritillaries, hoping to extend the interest in that part where it is damp, there are also a few astilbe there already.
Glad to read that you’ve enjoyed a good holiday Pauline and have come home to happy greenhouse occupants and a thriving garden. Your fritillaries look as if they have been there forever. Wondering where you went for your holiday – don’t keep us waiting too long to reveal your destination and show us more of the plant life 🙂
Everything managed so well while we were away, thanks to my neighbour, there are leaves on the trees now and blossom everywhere, spring has certainly arrived! I have just finished my next post, I’ll give you a clue, I didn’t need my passport!
Ha! I knew I had two posts of yours to read so I made sure I read the earlier one first and was guessing wrongly up to that last comment! I am glad your garden survived pheasants and neighbours while you were away – and what an exciting time to rediscover it. It’s amazing making new discoveries every day, let along a week’s worth in one go! Your fritillaries are indeed as wonderful as ever – will you let Nature take its course and spread the seed, or are there other parts of the garden where you would like to establish them?
Cathy, the garden has changed so much in a week, I can’t believe it! So many flowers and blossom everywhere, I don’t know where to start.I think I will sprinkle some fritillary seed in the bog garden when it is ready. That area doesn’t really get going for another month when the candelabra primulas will start, so it would be nice to have some colour there earlier. The white female pheasant was in the garden again this morning, saw her rushing across the circular lawn and then she vanished, I wonder if she is looking for somewhere to make her nest?!
Wherever you went looks wonderful.
My meconopsis are in the cold frame as I was worried it would be too hot for them in the greenhouse. I am impressed with your fritillaries
It was wonderful Helen, we really enjoyed it.
I pricked my meconopsis out into plug trays just before we went away and my poor neighbour had the responsibility of looking after them for me, they were fine on my return. Once they have settled down I will move them out of the greenhouse to the back of the garage where they did well last year. Last years small plants were moved from their nursery bed a few weeks ago and already they have tripled in size so I’m hoping they might flower this year.
At this time of year when new flowers open by the minute, you must have seen such a huge difference on your return. I’m so pleased the fritillaries have done so well, I love seeing yours as they don’t grow for me. Does your holiday destination begin with T or M? Wherever it was I’m looking forward to reading all about it. Christina
There was such a difference Christina, when we got back, so many new flowers had opened and all the blossom was flowering at once. Our holiday was spent in the Isles of Scilly, just 30 miles off the coast here in the SW, its amazing the difference in the climate. One of the islands is Tresco so you were right about one of them! I’m sure you will see some very familiar plants when I do posts about them, non of which I could grow in the garden here.
Welcome back Pauline! I hope you enjoyed your trip but I’m sure you did just looking at the pics! I just wonder what happened to your previous… ‘different’ neighbor but I’m better not ask… 😉
Don’t worry Alberto, I didn’t kill the previous neighbour for neglecting my meconopsis, thankfully she moved. Did you think I had disposed of her onto the compost heap, I felt like it at the time!! We had a wonderful trip thank you, still sorting some photos out for you, in between dead heading and weeding, it’s catch up time in the garden now!
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